China's low-altitude industry advancing at pace

A view of the five-seat eVTOL aircraft, Matrix 1, independently developed by Zhongshan FCourier Aviation Technology Co. (PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

China's first domestically developed 2-ton electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft is expected to obtain airworthiness certification from the Civil Aviation Administration of China by the end of 2025, according to a senior manager of the developer.

Matrix 1 — a five-seat eVTOL aircraft independently developed by Zhongshan FCourier Aviation Technology Co Ltd, a professional industrial-grade unmanned aerial system provider based in Zhongshan, Guangdong province, completed its maiden flight in October 2023.

The large eVTOL aircraft received an acceptance for airworthiness application from the CAAC in January last year, becoming the first accepted 2-ton aircraft in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

"Pre-sales of the eVTOL aircraft have already commenced, with potential orders in place," said Zhou Ping, the company's director of government public affairs.

The aircraft, featuring a composite wing configuration and operating solely on electric power, can fly 250 kilometers on a single charge at a speed of 200 kilometers per hour.

"In the future, boarding an all-electric air taxi will allow for a 15-minute flight from Tanzhou to Shiqi town in the city," said Zhou.

In addition to the eVTOL aircraft, the company has also launched a series of industrial-grade drones, represented by the E6A drone, which have been widely used in areas such as maritime anti-smuggling, emergency firefighting and energy facility inspections.

"Industrial-grade drone applications are experiencing explosive growth, ranging from firefighting emergency rescue to agricultural planting and protection," said Zhou.

The company has demonstrated a strong development momentum, with its annual output value doubling in 2024, according to Zhou.

The E6A, with its independently developed innovative technology, can accomplish missions even in extreme scenarios of water, power and network outages, according to Huang Ziyu, a structural engineer at the company.

"The E6A drone can fly over 500 km after just one hour of charging, taking off and landing smoothly even in light rain and strong winds of up to level 7," said Huang.

To accelerate the development of low-altitude industry, local authorities have started construction of a low-altitude industrial park in Tanzhou town of Zhongshan, which will include research and development, production and testing of the industry.

The Greater Bay Area (Zhongshan) Low-Altitude Economic Industrial Park has already entered the renovation phase, with an expected official launch by the end of 2025.

FCourier will establish its eVTOL aircraft production factory and test flight base in the park, with an estimated annual output value of about 840 million yuan ($117.2 million) upon completion.

Zhongshan, at the western bank of the Pearl River, has currently developed 33 companies engaged in the low-altitude economy sector, collectively generating sales revenue exceeding 5.7 billion yuan in 2024, according to local government statistics.

The first cross-sea low-altitude logistics commercial route in the Greater Bay Area has been officially launched at the Hongchang Logistics Park in Xiaolan town of Zhongshan.

Presently, Zhongshan has opened two low-altitude commercial logistics routes, linking to Shenzhen and Zhuhai, respectively, with an average of 10 daily flights on each route.